The 2nd Street Festival will marks its 35th anniversary when it returns Oct. 7-8 to historic Jackson Ward.

Over the years, the Venture Richmond Events festival has grown to be one of the Mid- Atlantic’s largest street festivals during which thousands visit Historic Jackson Ward to reminisce about the days when 2nd Street was the heart and soul of Richmond’s African-American community and was known as “the Harlem of the South.”

The 2nd Street Festival is an annual celebration that features three stages of live musical entertainment along with a Kidz Zone, popular food vendors, a marketplace and Artists Row to shop, and the Richmond Metropolitan Antique Car Club.

This year’s festival features the headlining Average White Band on Saturday, Oct. 7, and several other artists will be showcased over the two-day event.

Saturday’s Headliner Average White Band

Regarded as one of the top soul, R&B and jazz-funk groups, and first known for the timeless instrumental hit “Pick Up the Pieces,” the Average White Band’s appeal lies in their diverse songwriting and unique approach to rhythm and blues. With multiple gold and platinum albums and three Grammy nominations on the legendary Atlantic label, they were the first Brits to top the U.S. Top 100 singles, albums and R&B charts.

The six-piece band took their instrumental cues from R&B giants Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Al Green and Stevie Wonder to create their own authentic R&B blend, which, with the tongue-in-cheek name, happily surprised both black and white audiences alike.

Their singles, “Cut The Cake,” “Queen Of My Soul,” “Walk On By,” “Atlantic Avenue” and “Let’s Go Round Again” had major chart action around the world. Fast-forward two decades and AWB’s unlikely contribution to hip-hop, rap, and modern R&B was sealed by the massive use of their samples from Erik B, Rakim, TLC, Ice- Cube, Diddy and many others.

AWB will perform on the Main Stage at the 2nd Street Festival.

Sunday’s Closing Performance, I Would Die 4U: A Musical Tribute to Prince

As a returning crowd favorite, this musical tribute band brings the electric joy and eclectic funk of Prince’s music to the stage with the recreations of Prince’s greatest hits, funkiest jams and most soulful ballads. Accompanied by his incredibly talented band, Anthony Cosby Jr. takes you on an unforgettable musical journey. Mr. Cosby is a musical theater performer based in Richmond who has performed in over 30 musical productions, including “The Wiz,” “A Chorus Line,” “Sister Act,” “Dreamgirls,” “The Color Purple” and many more. He also has appeared in several episodes of AMC’s hit series “TURN,” the PBS series “Mercy Street,” and Hulu’s latest production, “Dopesick.”

More information on the 2nd Street Festival and additional artists performing will follow later this summer, according to Venture Richmond. For up-to-date information about the 2nd Street Festival, please visit:

https://venturerichmond. com/our-events/2nd-street-festival/